Xbox Insider Program FAQ

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What is the Xbox Insider Program?

The Xbox Insider Program allows passionate Xbox fans the opportunity to give us feedback on the latest Xbox One System updates, as well as features and games still in development on the both the Xbox One console and Windows 10 PCs.

Join the Xbox Insider Program and help make work-in-progress content and features coming to Xbox even better. Tell us what you love, what you could do without, and what you want more of by completing quests, surveys, quick polls, and reporting problems directly to developers.

As an Xbox Insider, you’ll decide your level of involvement and what content to pursue – whether it’s on PC or Xbox One or focused around system updates or games. You’ll automatically become eligible to join more and more Insider content previews based on your interests, tenure as an Xbox Insider, Xbox Insider XP score, and activities you participate in.

Get started in the Xbox Insider Program

Get the Xbox Insider Hub

Getting started as an Xbox Insider is as easy as downloading the Xbox Insider Hub app on your Xbox One or PC.

Navigate to the Store tab on the dashboard or select Store in the guide.

What’s required to get Insider previews

Each Insider content preview has different requirements to participate. To view the requirements for each preview:

Launch the Xbox Insider Hub.

Go to Insider content.

Select the preview you want.

The eligibility requirements are on the Info tab of the Insider content details page.

Note Only previews you're eligible to participate in will appear in Insider content. Additionally, there are often different Insider content previews available on Xbox One and Windows 10, as some programs are specific to a given platform.

Xbox Insider Program FAQ

Yes. Note that the available Update Preview ring(s) you can register with will be based on your Xbox Insider XP score and tenure in the program.

How can I join the Xbox One Update Preview, or move my console to a different Preview ring?

Launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox One console.

On the main landing page, select Insider content.

Under System, select Xbox One Update Preview.

Select Join or Manage.

Choose a Preview ring from the available selections.

How do the Xbox One Update Preview rings differ and how do I change rings?

There are four Xbox One Update Preview rings, which allow you control when and how often you will get early access to console updates. You’ll gain access to rings based on your activity as an Xbox Insider. If you’ve been invited to more than one ring, you can switch between them from the Xbox Insider Hub.

The current Xbox One Update Preview rings are:

Alpha – Open on an “invite only” basis and receives updates at the earliest point in the preview window.

Beta – Open to Xbox Insiders with a Program tenure of 3 or more months and an Xbox Insider XP Level of 4 or higher. This ring receives updates shortly after Alpha.

Delta – Open to any Xbox Insider with a tenure of 1 or more months that has reached Xbox Insider Level 2 or higher. Depending on certain edge cases where further attention is required from Alpha or Beta rings, Delta Insiders may receive system updates before Beta, though this is not a common scenario. Additionally, while early system updates are not guaranteed across the Delta ring, all Delta Insiders will receive the update prior to GA.

Omega – Open to anyone and receives system updates shortly before the GA (General Availability) release.

Do I need to join Xbox One Update Preview to participate in game or app previews available through the Xbox Insider Program?

Generally, no. While some game or app previews may be offered only to users in a specific Xbox One Update Preview rings due to a game or app’s dependency on a system update version newer than the current public update, many games and apps are made available to Xbox Insiders regardless of enrollment in an Xbox One Update Preview ring.

My friend is eligible for a preview but I'm not. Why is that?

Not all previews will be available to all Xbox Insiders. Participants can be eligible for previews based on a variety of factors, which may be different for each Xbox Insider preview. In some cases, the game or app developer may decide on eligibility themselves. Eligibility can also be determined based on your interests, previous activities in the Xbox Insider Program, tenure as an Xbox Insider, Xbox Insider XP score, games you own, and more.

There’s a preview listed as Joined in Insider content, but I didn’t join it, and there’s no option to leave. Why is this?

Occasionally we will automatically enroll users who meet certain simple criteria in an Insider program. For example, all Insiders who launch the Xbox Insider Hub and agree to the Terms and Conditions are automatically enrolled in the Xbox Insider Program. Generally this is done to expose qualified users to certain announcements, quests, and so we can learn about your interests and notify you of new opportunities. You may gain access to new Insider content through these programs.

I stopped participating in the Xbox Insider Program. Can I return?

Yes. On the Xbox One console, you can reinstall the Xbox Insider Hub from the Ready to Install list in My games & apps. If you can’t find it there, look for it in the Store.

If you previously participated in the Xbox Insider Program on PC and have since uninstalled the app, simply search for “Xbox Insider Hub” in the Store.

I bought a new console. Can I use that to participate in the Xbox Insider Program?

Yes. Just install the Xbox Insider Hub from the Ready to Install list in My games & apps. If you can’t find it there, look for it in the Store. Once launched, you’ll be eligible for the same Insider content you were eligible for on other consoles.

I sold my console or no longer wish to participate as an Xbox Insider. How can I stop participating in the Xbox Insider Program?

Prior to selling or gifting your console to someone else, you should remove it from the Xbox Insider Program by navigating to Settings > Manage Devices, scrolling to your device marked (current), selecting it and selecting Done. If you’ve already sold or gifted your console, you can launch the Xbox Insider Hub on another console and follow these same directions after selecting your old console.

The same steps apply if you intend to keep your console but no longer wish to participate as an Xbox Insider and would like to unenroll your console from the program. After electing to remove a console, it may take up to 72 hours before the removal is complete, during which time you may still receive console, game, or app updates. As part of the removal process your console may undergo a factory refresh. If a factory refresh is required, your games and apps will not be erased; however, any profiles or system settings saved to the console will need to be restored after the factory refresh is complete.

Note You’ll need to know the serial number or name of your previous console to ensure you remove the correct Xbox device.

How long will it take for my request to have a console removed from the program to be processed?

After removing a console from the Xbox Insider Program it can take up to 72 hours for that removal to complete, during which time you may still receive console, game, or app updates. When the unenrollment process is complete, your console may be reset to factory defaults While this will remove all profiles and settings from the console, it will notremove your stored games and apps.

My family shares a console. Can we all participate in the Xbox Insider Program?

Yes! The Xbox Insider Program allows everyone in your home to participate. Anyone who launches the Xbox Insider Hub can participate in previews on that console if they are eligible.

Note Eligibility for Insider content depends on your Level within the program, previous activity and a number of other criteria. Insider content, for example specific games or apps, available to you may differ from the content available to a friend or another member of your family.

I no longer wish to participate in the Xbox One Update Preview. How can I stop participating in this or other previews?

Leaving the Xbox One Update Preview is just as easy as joining it. You can remove yourself from the Xbox One Update Preview by following these steps:

Launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox One console.

On the main landing page, select Insider content.

Under System, select Xbox One Update Preview.

Select Join or Manage.

At the very bottom select Unenroll.

Note: This process typically takes an average of 10 minutes to complete.

Are previews available in the Xbox Insider Program under an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)?

In most cases, previews are not under NDA, but some might be. Previews that require an NDA will require you to accept an additional Terms of Use before participating.